Biometric Submission Appointment Delays

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At a Glance

• The Ministry of Interior in the popular filing location of Brno in the Czech Republic is experiencing a backlog and lengthy delays in appointment scheduling for biometrics submission. The soonest available appointment date is September 2019.
• Employers hiring new foreign nationals to work in the Czech Republic should expect start date delays and initial applications should be submitted well in advance of start dates. 
• Foreign nationals should start renewal processes at least four to five months prior to the expiry of their current Czech permits.

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The situation

The Ministry of the Interior in the popular filing location of Brno in the Czech Republic is currently experiencing lengthy delays to biometric submission appointment availability. The earliest available appointments are likely to be in mid- to late- September 2019, when usually appointments can be scheduled one to two weeks ahead.

Impact

• Foreign nationals can only start work when they have received an appointment confirmation.
• Employers should initiate initial processes well in advance of target start dates and delay start dates for foreign nationals who are impacted.
• Employers should review residence permits for existing foreign employees and start renewal processes at least four to five months before the expiry of the current permit.

 

Background

Foreign nationals seeking initial and renewal work authorizations in the Czech Republic must submit biometrics upon arrival.

Processing delays and appointment backlogs are common across Europe from July to September. In addition, applications in the Czech Republic have been subject to additional delays due to upcoming legislation, which is expected to go into effect in September 2019. 

Looking ahead

Upcoming changes to Czech immigration processes are expected to come into force in September 2019. The changes are intended to streamline the immigration process and create certainty for the increasing number of European migrants to the Czech Republic and ease growing labor market needs in the region.

Further changes considered in the Czech Parliament include the potential to allow in-country application filing, which would further expedite and streamline immigration processes. However, further updates on this proposal are not expected before the end of 2019.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].